Guangdong to ‘actively align’ with Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis push

Guangdong will “actively align” with Hong Kong’s strategy for the Northern Metropolis megaproject and highlight areas of collaboration as part of the province’s 15th five-year plan. The Guangdong provincial government on Tuesday published its development blueprint, with the term “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area” mentioned 57 times in the document and a chapter dedicated to the region’s development. Its proposal for economic and social development, part of Beijing’s sweeping 2026-2030 plan, set an average annual economic growth rate of about 5 per cent and clearly listed “persistent efforts to promote the development of the region” as one of its primary tasks for the next five years. Provincial authorities emphasized the development of the bay area, which refers to Beijing’s initiative to integrate Hong Kong and Macau with nine mainland Chinese cities into a high-tech economic powerhouse. In the next five years, Guangdong authorities said they would develop “distinctive cooperation platforms” tailored to local conditions, naming the Northern Metropolis as an area of focus. “We will actively align with the development strategy of Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis and collaborate on park development, industrial introduction, project layout, facility construction, talent attraction and environmental protection,” they said in the report. The province planned to strengthen the unique advantages of development zones, including those in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Foshan and Zhongshan. It also sought to expand economic cooperation with Hong Kong and Macau in areas such as technological innovation, advanced manufacturing, green development, trade and logistics, and the construction of high-quality living environments. “We will support qualified cities and regions in building distinctive cooperation platforms with Hong Kong and Macau, focusing on technological innovation, advanced manufacturing, green development, trade and logistics, and the construction of high-quality living circles,” Guangdong authorities said. The document mentioned the cross-border Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, a key infrastructure project under the Northern Metropolis blueprint. The provincial government said it would accelerate the development and construction of the Shenzhen Park and work with the Hong Kong side to develop “one river, two banks” and “one zone, two parks”. “We will jointly attract top international R&D enterprises, research institutions, and scientific talent,” it said. Professor Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said the importance of the Greater Bay Area in China’s development strategy was apparent in Beijing’s 15th five-year plan. “Beijing not only expects Hong Kong to speed up the development of the Northern Metropolis, but also urges Guangdong to take active and effective measures to connect the mainland cities with Hong Kong to accelerate the Northern Metropolis’s development,” he said. The Northern Metropolis serves as a platform benefiting from special policies and laws, to promote the integration of Hong Kong, Macau and the nine mainland cities. he said. “We can expect greater involvement of mainland cities in the development of the Northern Metropolis, greater convergence of rules, regulations, and standards between Hong Kong and these cities, and greater interflow of people, capital, goods, information, data, and enterprises between them,” he said. The document emphasised deepening and solidifying industrial and technological cooperation and called for active engagement with Hong Kong universities and research institutions, such as the InnoHK platform, to carry out full-chain cooperation, including technology research and development, incubation, enterprise growth and industrial cultivation. It outlined plans to establish joint laboratories and set up a research system connected to Hong Kong and Macau as part of efforts to align with international standards. The document also called for improving mechanisms for the cross-border allocation of research funds and the flow of data. In the report, Guangdong authorities also reviewed their achievements over the past five years and said the bay area had played a leading role in the country’s development, with major cooperation platforms yielding significant results. “Adhering to the new positioning of serving as a strategic pivot for the new development pattern, a demonstration zone for high-quality development and a leader in Chinese-style modernisation, we will effectively play our role as a main force and primary driver,” they said. They added that they would “continuously enrich the new practice of ‘one country, two systems’ in the new era”.